Running a full marathon of 26.2 miles is a significant feat for anyone, but perhaps even more so for Romain Doveno, a Beninois who ran the entire Liberia Marathon barefoot on Sunday, 25 August.

“I’m used to going barefoot. This is how I train,” said Doveno. “But with or without shoes the important thing is just run.”

That is the enthusiasm marathon winner Nathan Naipei, a 26-year-old from Kenya, hopes to see more of in the coming years.

“I want to motivate more people to run this marathon,” said Naipei. “There was something like 100 people who started at the start line, but I wish to see at an event like this one 30,000 people at the start line. I want it to become like London, New York, and other major marathons.”

Naipei, who has been running marathons for three years, finished the race through the streets of Monrovia in 2 hours, 34 minutes. “The time was far below my personal best because there was no one to compete with,” he said. Naipei has promised to return to Liberia to open a sports clinic ahead of next year’s marathon to encourage people to train for the race.

Still, enthusiasm was far from lacking for many, including Patrick Saah, a 32-year-Liberian, who ran the 10K race for those on crutches.

“I’ve been training for three weeks,” said Saah. “I’m taking part to exercise my strength, to know my status of running. Actually, I’m just happy that we, the disabled, can find ourselves in such a race.”

Likewise, Omar Fahnbulleh, 27, was not sure if he would finish the race, but he was taking part nonetheless.

“I won’t reach 10K, but anyway I want to run,” said Fahnbulleh. “We want to show the world that this marathon is going to serve as a medium that the world will know that Liberia is truly ready for peace.”

Despite the rain, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf kicked off the 10K portion of the race at JFK Hospital. She also handed out medals to the winners at the closing ceremony at SKD Stadium that saw local musicians including Takun J and Soul Fresh entertain the crowd. Some 3,000 people had registered to participate in the marathon, with most running the 10K distance between JFK Hospital and SKD.

UN Police Officer Levent Ibral of Turkey, who finished the 10K race in just under 55 minutes, was among 94 UNMIL personnel that also took part in the race. “It was great to see everyone come together,” said Ibral. “From the music and dancing in the morning, to the race itself, to the concert at the end, I was happy to be able to be a part of this day.”

The theme of this year’s marathon was “Liberia Rising, Together.” Daniel Dean, Security Director for the Liberia Marathon, suggested this year’s event broke new ground “by getting people involved in fitness exercises, bringing people together showing unity, investing in Liberian athletics, and staging a world class event that tells the world about Liberia’s story of transformation.”

With onlookers like Teresa Cotto, it seems likely that next year’s marathon will be even bigger.

“It’s hard for me now because I just had a child, but I want to train so that I can take part next year,” said Korto. “Especially for women, these events are important because they make us strong. They make the whole world to see that we are growing, that something good is coming from Liberia.”